The Best Present Ever
by icravecheesecake
Summary: Harry and Draco are Auror Partners, and have been assigned an interesting case for the first time in well ... forever. But who the hell is the ringleader of these dark magicians and why is Draco nonsensically flirting with him so much? DRACO/HARRY RATED M


**A/N:**

**Hi, it's icravecheesecake here with my first fanfic, in God, about two years? -.- And my first posted on this account, anyway – can't remember my old details. It's a Harry Potter fic – Draco/Harry to be exact (and that way around, so if you don't like seme!Draco or uke!Harry then don't read; simple). It's an Auror partner fic – I do love my Auror kink ;) - , and it is rated M for future chapters. Other pairings definitely mentioned in the story are Ron/Hermione.**

**Eeh... this is quite a long A/N; I suppose I've rambled on a little too long XD. All I can say is, thank you for taking the time to look at this, and please R&R (read and review); every review is much appreciated whether it's praise or constructive criticism!**

**Also, watch out... kind of Valentines!day themed, by later ;) but not going to be more soppy than bread in water, trust me :/**

**SOOO... DA DA DA DAAA.**

**I PRESENT TO YOUUUU...**

**The Best Present Ever**

**Chapter One**

Harry had just been finished reading the strange note he had just been delivered when his Auror partner, Draco Malfoy, sauntered into their office. Absentmindedly he crumpled the paper in his fist and tossed it over his head, hoping it would land in the trash can behind his desk. Judging by the expression on Malfoy's face, it obviously just bounced off of the top of the rest of the assorted rubbish piled into it and fell onto the floor.

"Potter, you need to seriously empty that," Malfoy remarked disdainfully, his eyebrows raising as his silver-gray eyes flickered around the room. "And you definitely need to tidy this place. I am not doing it again for you; all you need to do is cast a few tidying spells, you know." He suddenly lowered his eyes to Harry's and a smirk that Harry tried hard not to think very, very sexy spread across his face. He stepped forward, planting his hands on Harry's desk and leaning forwards so he towered over Harry. "Just because I've been off ill for a few days doesn't mean time stops for you."

Harry flushed and tried to change the subject, ignoring the truth of the blond's statement. "Um, what did Kingsley need you for?"

"Ah, that." Malfoy leaned back, ceasing their close proximity, to which Harry tried to downplay to himself his disappointment. The blond summoned his black office chair from underneath a considerably large stack of office papers, pursing his lips in slight annoyance as he cast a spell to organise the papers as well, before reclining leisurely in the chair. "Well, we have more of a slightly challenging case this time round."

Eager to listen, Harry leaned forward in his chair. They had not had an exciting case in weeks. It had all been relatively ridiculous things like saving an old woman from her cursed cats (which Draco had complained about for hours on the job, and Harry had found it one of those cases where he didn't know whether he wanted to strangle or shag Draco more), Imperiused Muggle clowns, and the like. "What's it about?" he asked with interest.

"Well, you'd know that if you weren't here half an hour late and you hadn't missed it." Draco raised his eyes to the heavens and tutted, but a grin twitched at the corner of his lips, his silver eyes flickering down again to meet Harry's. "Oh, it's a band of dark wizards this time. Trying to kill Muggles and Muggleborns." The blond winced, and Harry saw it a testament to how much he had changed – or more probably, shed his father's influence – since the war. "They're distributing mass-produced boxes with gifts in in various places, like gift stores and food sample stalls. These boxes are charmed so only muggles and muggleborns are drawn to them to buy them. If purebloods and half bloods don't know what they are, a charm is fixed on them so they will just ignore them."

Harry frowned. "What do these boxes do exactly to muggles and muggleborns?"

Draco met his eyes steadily. "They are gift boxes. There is a gift inside every box. When they are in the store, the perpetrators open the boxes. It doesn't affect them. However, when they get home and open the box to examine the product, the dark magic locked inside the box rushes out. It attacks the mind and feeds into its worst fears. It then manifests itself at night in horrible, sometimes violent dreams corresponding with the person's worst fears until the person goes insane, kills themselves or both. There have been no deaths as of yet; this was discovered early and many of the people affected are in wizarding hospitals around the UK."

Eyes widening, Harry leaned back in his chair. This case certainly was a little more serious than the norm. "Is it a … potentially dangerous case?" The events of Draco and Harry's sixth year flashed back harshly in his mind and Harry recalled grimly seeing Draco lying in a pool of blood, eyes rolling. His hand tightened on his wand. He wouldn't let any harm come to him.

Draco's eyes narrowed. He stared at Harry. The brunet thought he saw something like worry flicker in the blond's eyes, and only wished part of it could ever be for him. Those thoughts were nonsense, Harry told himself. Draco would never return his feelings, even if he fucked about with them like he did, flirting non stop. It was just Draco's way of messing with people, Harry had reasoned glumly to himself a thousand times. Harry snapped out of his resigned reveries as Draco clicked his fingers impatiently in front of his face. "Snap out of it, Potter. Anyway … I should hope not." A fierce look came into his eyes as they connected with Harry's for a second, seemingly considering something, though Harry knew not his train of thought. His mouth twisted darkly. "If needs be, I know _certain _spells that could be useful..."

Harry interrupted sharply, catching on. "No dark magic or bloody Unforgiveables, Draco." _I'd do it … I don't want you to get into trouble,_ he added inside his mind.

Draco merely glared slightly, but the look was mixed with something else. Harry couldn't quite decipher it. "I'll do whatever it takes, Potter," he said so quietly the brunet almost couldn't hear him. He assumed he was talking about the case.

"Yeah well, don't go _that far_, is all I'm saying," Harry muttered, then asked in a clearer tone, "Anyway, where are we stationed for this?"

Draco pursed his lips in annoyance, but answered the question. "We've been positioned at a 'Muggle' – it's obviously not run by Muggles now – perfume shop. It's suspected that the perpetrators of the whole thing are currently based there, though we don't know for sure. We're going to have to go there undercover – as _shelf stackers _-" Draco shuddered with disdain whilst Harry stifled a chuckle; "-and we'll have to try and steal one of those boxes, if the operation does turn out to be based there, make sure it's sealed shut, and take it to the ministry for the right department to have examined, so then hopefully they can exterminate all the boxes in one go when they've developed the right spells. Then we'd take down the perpetrators once we had the all clear and proof."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "We'd better get moving then. Portkey or Apparition."

Draco grinned suddenly, standing up and pulling Harry up next to him close. "Apparition. Side-Along," he said warmly, withdrawing his wand from his Auror robes.

Harry flushed as Draco slung an arm around his shoulders tightly, and he looked up to meet the other Auror's eyes. "Why do you always insist on Side-Along?" he asked, trying to feign irritation, but red still highlighted his cheeks. He hated to admit it, but he loved it when Draco did this.

"You know full well you struggle with your Apparition," the blond said, quirking his lips as he looked to Harry, then grinned sharply. "Saves me having to deal with a pasty, ill Auror when we get to our destination, no?"

Before Harry could rebuke his teasing, Draco tightened his arm on his shoulder and Harry felt the slight gut-wrench of Apparition. He had recently developed a problem with Apparition; he used to be fine with it, he had no idea what was going wrong, and he was a little alarmed by it. Draco had picked up on this quickly – he was a very observant man – and coerced him into Side-Along sometimes. Singular Apparition had become gut-wrenchingly painful. It was _never_ as bad with Draco, though. Maybe it was just Side-Along, or maybe the blond comforted his nerves slightly. Harry didn't know which.

The familiar spinning, sickly sensation of Apparition assaulted his senses, and Harry clung on to Draco, squeezing his eyes shut as they disappeared.

When Draco and Harry arrived at their destination, Harry realised his actions. He flushed and removed himself from his blond Auror partner, and smoothed his robes down self-consciously, not meeting Draco's eyes.

Draco hadn't seemed to notice, but a strange look settled into his eyes for a split second; then he snapped back into focus just as Harry turned to him to ask him where they were. He interrupted Harry's oncoming question with his own. "By the way … what was that letter you received today? It looked … _strange_."

Harry grimaced. The letter had certainly seemed 'strange'. It had been set on strange red-tinted parchment, and had been covered in white _squiggly hearts. _Yes, _squiggly hearts_. He knew it was nearly Valentines, but the people who did send him Valentines now (girls had generally stopped with a sense of defeat, since Ginny had outed him angrily to the Prophet after their messy break up) weren't usually that sickly in taste, even at this time of year. He was partly thankful for the fact that Ginny had done that, since he didn't get nearly half as many love letters, because the hoards of girls seemed to realise they were getting no where. But Harry still remembered that final argument with a gritting of his teeth and remnants of dismay at how it all ended up. Harry had wished he could be the one to love her, but he couldn't.

Anyway, the letter itself had only read something like,

_Dear Harry my love._

_ I'd meet you in Rosewood meadows and we'd stay all night on the 14th to watch the Catalystic Star show. At the end you will have lived._

_ Yours,_

_ An admirer._

Harry had thought it mildly creepy, since the person didn't even leave their name, and the only reason they would do that is if they knew him. And all he knew about Rosewood meadows was that the Star show that happened there every 14th of February was supposed to be a very romantic sight to see with your 'loved one'. So the context of the letter freaked Harry out more, as from what he garnered about the situation, the person knew him and was obsessed with him.

"...Well?" Impatiently Draco waved a hand in front of Harry's face,

The brunet snapped back into focus, eyes a little wide. "Uhm, it was just another random love letter. You know what they're all like." He shrugged nonchalantly, though he knew his eyes belayed a little worry, as Draco's narrowed.

Thankfully, the blond seemed to let it go for the time being. There was an awkward silence and Harry used it to examine his surroundings. He supposed it was a prettily, if slightly sickly, decorated shop, and it was fairly spacious. It reminded him of Madam Puddifoot's in his fifth year, only in a perfume shop version, and he grimaced slightly at the over-cutesy decorations. "So I gather this is the place then?" he asked, walking over to the counter while taking in fully his surroundings.

Draco pulled a face. "I'm afraid so, as disgustingly _pink _it is." The blond snorted. "We'll have to stay here, maybe for a couple of days, posing as shelf stackers until we get our hands on one of the boxes, send it off, and have them all eliminated. Then we'll have to round up the gangleaders and bring them in."

Harry nodded, and was just about to look through the shelves to detect the boxes, when he heard a thuggish, low voice from behind the front door of the shop which completely contrasted with the surroundings.

Harry's alarmed eyes flashed to Draco's alert ones. The blond whispered, as the door unlocked, "That's them; we're early."

**So, there we are! First chapter of this fanfic :') Soooo, yeah. -wiggle arms- whaaat will happennnn. Well, I suppose you all know what will happen with their relationship eventually (; but, what's with the case? Hmmmmm? You'll all find out sooner or later :D But for now, adios! Please read and review, every review means a lot and I know people like the story so I can continue with it. By the way, this is rated M because the story will eventually contain graphic lemon scenes. Just saying now.**

**Thank you in advance for reading and reviewing... goodbye! **

**love, icravecheesecake** **xxx**


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